If... the Unforgiving Minute

dna_leri

Finally decided to put pen to paper and start a training log after a few years active lurking.

Background:
Restarted running in September 2007 after over 20 years of low activity.
I lost over 2 stone in weight and set PBs of 19:36 for 5K and 40:32 for 10K by April 2009.
I then changed to running Masters track, picking up a few medals in national masters at distances from 60m to 400m.

In March this year I got a knee injury which had me out of running for 23 weeks.
In July I had keyhole surgery (arthroscopy) to remove a piece of damaged meniscus.
While injured, I kept myself in some sort of shape with strength training, cycling and a little jogging.
My knee is still not 100% but good enough to begin running.
Over the last 4 weeks, since I started back running I have begun to rebuild my fitness with easy runs up to about 18 km last week.

Next installment:
I will continue to increase my mileage slowly, then target a 5K race near the end of the year.
After that I will reassess if I continue to build up for a 10K or keep it shorter.
I have a few potential targets in mind for Summer 2011, but I'll keep them to myself for now.

For now my training plan is simple: run 3 times a week at easy pace and slowly build up the distance.
I have been trying to limit my weekly increase to around 10% per week but coming off a low base that's almost impossible.
Assuming I get through the next 4 weeks injury free, then I will then start to throw in a bit more variety and intensity.
The challenge for now is not pushing it too hard too soon.
I will also try to maintain weights and core exercises 1-2 days a week.

I am not sure how this log will work out, probably more of a blog than a log.
I don't intend to just log the numbers, I have a spreadsheet for that, so I will only post when I have something to say.

That will do for now, I will fill in the rest of the gaps as I go along.

dna_leri

Plan was for 2 or 3 easy (but hilly) laps of my local park, each about 2.25km. Had done 3 laps last Thursday, but pushed it a bit on the second lap and knee felt a bit sore the next day. So definitely was not going to push this time, told myself if I even feel a twinge on the second lap I would not do a third one.

First lap went fine, second lap I could feel a slight niggle in my dodgy left knee. "Ah but sure it will be ok" and continued on for the third one.
First lap was 11:42 HR 144, 2nd lap 11:51 HR 158, 3rd lap 12:02 HR 159.
Last week 2nd lap was 10:30, so I was taking it easy this time (although the heart rate could be a bit lower) but I should have stopped after the 2nd one this time. Looking back two years ago I was doing tempo intervals of 9-9:20 so there is still a long, long way to go and patience is needed.

Knee was sore afterwards as I did some stretching. Did my usual nightly routine of icing etc which seems to have worked as its much better this morning. Plan is for another easy run on Thursday but definitely keep it to 2 laps, well probably.

dna_leri

Two laps yesterday, so kept my promise, though I did speed up on the second one and tried to keep up with a couple of guys going at about 7:30 /mile pace.
First lap was 11:42, average HR 149; second lap 10:35, average HR 116 :eek:
My HR monitor has been acting up for a while, so that rate on the second lap is not to be believed, time is still about right.

Knee behaved well, a bit if stiffness afterwards and today but nothing serious.
I had changed my insoles in my running shoes and worked at running with good form. I have slightly flat feet so tend to pronate which can put extra pressure on my knee and insoles help correct that.

I think the problem on Tuesday may have been due to a weights session I did Monday. I have been keeping the weights low but I did increase for my deadlifts this week so that may have put extra pressure on my knee. On Wednesday I avoided weights, just did knee strengthening exercises.

This injury recovery is a slow path, but hopefully its two steps forward for every one step back, this was one step forward anyway. I will plan a slightly longer run at the weekend but keep the pace sloooow.

dna_leri

Ran 7.4 km yesterday, same as I did last Sunday, my joint longest run of the year. :eek: Last week was 37:52, this time was 37:33. Ran two laps of my local woods, my favourite place to run especially when there aren't many dogs about. Yesterday was a nice cool morning and only met a few dog walkers towards the end.

First lap was 18:46 with average HR 160, second 18:47 with HR 150. Very happy with the steady pace, almost exactly at target of 5 min/km. Not sure if I believe the second lap HR, but I'll take it for now.

Gardening today which was more of a strain on my knee than yesterday's run, but should be the end of gardening for this year.;) This coming week will be similar to last, slow easy running 3 times a week to build up the strength, maybe add a few extra km as I go.

dna_leri

Did my usual cross-training today:
Good warm-up followed by knee strengthening exercises, mostly squats and single leg squats, body weight only.

Then 2 sets of weights: deadlift, single leg deadlift, overhead press, lunges, bicep curls & heel lifts.
Followed by 2 sets of core: crunches, bridge, superman & plank.
Reduced the weight on deadlifts which I increased last week but I think caused some knee pain.

Generally my weights are much lower than I was doing at the start of this year (by about half) and I was never a real weight lifter, only started a bit last year. Hopefully it will help in rebuilding my strength.

dna_leri

a few good links I have come across in the last while:

An article on competitor.com by Matt Fitzgerald on what to drink when you are not running:
http://tinyurl.com/365bhwn

From the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Effects of Static Stretching on Energy Cost and Running Endurance Performance. Apparently Static stretching increases the energetic cost of running and decreases performance over 60min run.
http://tinyurl.com/23wdfto

Runbritain launched a new handicap scoring system designed to give road runners of all abilities the ability to benchmark their progress and compare their results across a range of distances and terrains.
http://tinyurl.com/368vwpo

Another article from Matt Fitzgerald on his workout of the week Alberto's 300s - always liked training over this distance.
http://tinyurl.com/35xvvyq

Must have a look at Mr Fitzgerald's books, seem to like a lot of what he writes. Any one else read any?

dna_leri

Kept to my plan for 3x 2.25 km laps at an easy pace - 11:15 per lap is 5 min /km.

It was a beautiful evening for running, cool, dry and hardly a breeze. One of my regrets about not running during the last few months is all the good summer days I missed. I had trained hard through last winter and just as the days were getting longer and warmer I had to stop so it's good to be out making the best of the few good days we have left before I need to start wearing gloves, hat and head torch again.

First lap was 11:21 with average HR 146.
Second 11:07 with HR 161.
Third was 11:07 in HR 166.

Impressed with my pacing and consistency; did not go chasing after any faster runners and have no significant knee pain this week.

dna_leri

Another easy run, this time along the forest trails on an out and back route I know well. Surface varies from good to uneven which is an extra challenge to my knee that I think I passed.
6 km in 30:28, av pace 5:03 min /km

My kilometer splits were: 5:24, 5:16, 4:54, 5:09, 4:41, 4:41.
I picked it up a little on the second half, happy enough with that.

My HRM seemed to be working at the time and I thought I was averaging just under 160 bpm any time I looked but in the end it recorded 113 bpm for the return leg which was not right. I have a Sigma Onyx Pro that I picked up for £50 a few years back that has served me well once I got used to a few inherent bugs.

I used SportsTracker on my Nokia phone for the kilometer splits, which I only found out about recently. It's a useful free app using inbuilt phone GPS. I don't have any arm strap for it so I end up carrying it in my hand. I have been looking out for a water proof one but not found it yet. I think the phone is compatible with the old iphone so there should be plenty out there.

I would love to have a Garmin that could do both GPS and HRM functions for me, but I can't justify the expense right now, maybe I will drop some hints for Christmas (not far away now :eek:). In reality I know I could become too dependent on the technology if I had it so I am probably better off as I am.

Wednesday was cross-training, 2 weights circuits only. Next up a slightly longer run at the weekend then maybe try a few strides some day next week to see how I get on.

dna_leri

Long run today was 10K - no world records but further than I have run in a long time. A bit longer than I had planned but I felt ok and it was bright and sunny. I was tempted to add an extra couple of km as I turned for home but glad I did not. Soon after I felt a twinge in my knee to remind me I am supposed to be taking it easy.

Km splits were: 5:01, 5:12, 5:06, 5:00, 5:21, 5:04, 5:13, 5:20, 5:12, 5:21, slowed a bit in the second half but my HR also dropped from 158 for first 3.5K, to 157 for next 3.5K to 152 for last bit so not too bad, assuming I believe those bpm.
Overall 10.0 km in 52:08, so average pace of 5:13, which is in my target range for a longish run.

Knee was a bit sore afterwards but ok when iced.

dna_leri

Knee started to hurt during weights session today, so I cut it short and did some extra core work instead. Have ice on it now and does not seem too bad. Probably was an after effect of the longer run yesterday.

Here are a few articles I came across in the last week:

Why milk is good for athletes:
http://ow.ly/2NxDu

What all runners know, aerobic exercise helps you sleep:
http://ow.ly/2NxC6

Cramps are caused by altered neuro-muscular control caused by local muscle fatigue developing.
http://ow.ly/2NqfY

The latest research suggests more fat burning does not necessarily equal better performance.
http://ow.ly/2KBpS

Ten tips for maintaining your motivation by Ian Torrence including Five Traits of Successful Runners by Greg McMillan.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=20718

Evidence that children's brain development is linked to physical fitness
http://bit.ly/b6eg9B

How much we frown is an indicator of how hard we are working, doh !
http://ow.ly/2LdNB

Enough already.

dna_leri

Did 2x2.25 km laps again Tuesday, first lap was 12:02 mins and second exactly 11 mins. Although my knee has been a bit sore since Sunday, still decided to do a few strides at the end. Did 5x ~200m and was surprised by how good it felt. Kept it nice and steady and concentrated on good form. No adverse reaction afterwards either.
I am considering taking part in local winter league, starting next Tuesday, which would be good motivation as I get back to fitness. Plan would be to just run at a steady pace and build up towards a faster pace over the coming weeks. First I need to make sure I am ready to even start.
Will take it easy on the circuits today and then try to push it a little on Thusday, may be do one faster lap out of the 3 to see how that goes.

dna_leri

I had been really looking forward to my run on Thursday. The weather was good, my knee was feeling stronger and I had planned a sort of time trial for the second of my 3x 2.25km laps just to test out where I am at.

I started out well, though it was a bit windier than expected, there was a great crowd of runners out for an autumn evening run. First lap was 11:37 with average HR or 145, then pushed it for the second. I was joined by another guy doing "a few easy laps" so that probably helped keep the pace even. My target was to hit about 7 min/mile pace to give me a 10 min lap, stopped the clock at 9:58 with average HR of 168, can't argue with that.
I let my partner run ahead for the next one which was at my easy pace for a lap of 10:51 and HR 168.

Did plenty of stretching afterwards and felt good. In the past when I pushed it in training I have felt muscle soreness, but none so far this time, which tells me my limitations are still from my knee injury and my CV system.
In terms of my overall fitness, it has taken me 6 weeks to do what took about 20 weeks when I started back running in 2007, but that still leaves me over 2 years behind where I should be. I am sure I will continue to progress in the coming weeks if I am careful but it is amazing how much fitness I lost while out injured even though I thought I was maintaining some level.

dna_leri

Longish run again today, cos its Sunday, isn't that what the S in LSR stands for? Should have ran 10K today, but wanted to go a bit farther than last week.

Knee was a bit sore starting off, from running around at the county primary schools' cross country yesterday - active spectating of course, not participating.

Three laps of 3.7 km makes 11.1 km in 54:40 for an average pace just under 5min.
First one was 18:44 in 149 bpm
Second 18:16 with 153 bpm
Third 17:40 in ~160 bpm

Had decided to wear my Adidas Supernova Glides today instead of the Salomon Wings XT that I have been using recently. The wings have great support which I have appreciated but I wanted to see if I was ok with a little less support and lighter. Felt ok during the run, a few niggles from my knee but within tolerance.
However afterwards I found I had blisters on my toes on both feet - WTF is that about? I have never had blisters before, except maybe once when my feet got wet. I use the same insoles in all my shoes so it's not from them and my socks were not particularly worn. The only thing i could see is that there was sand in my shoes from the last time I used them on the beach. Maybe the abrasiveness of the sand caused it. Anyway hopefully they will heal on their own. Must remember to empty the sand out before I run again.

Next week I plan to run a local winter league 2 miler on Tuesday. Plan is to keep to steady pace and not push it. The later races will help as I prepare for a 5K.

aero2k

Hello dna_leri,

The log is off to a great start. Thanks for all the links, there's some great stuff on there.

I reckon you're right about the sand. I recently switched over to Adidas after being hooked on a steady diet of Asics and I've had no problems with blisters - like yourself it's very rare to get one.

Best of luck with your continuing recovery.

dna_leri

aero2k wrote: »

Hello dna_leri,

The log is off to a great start. Thanks for all the links, there's some great stuff on there.

I reckon you're right about the sand. I recently switched over to Adidas after being hooked on a steady diet of Asics and I've had no problems with blisters - like yourself it's very rare to get one.

Best of luck with your continuing recovery.

Good to know there is someone out there.

Seriously though there are so many logs on here now, I know I can't keep up, and so many of them are interesting. I reckon there are over 80 current logs at the moment. I'm happy to have had 330 viewers since I started, better than just making notes in my own offline log anyway.

dna_leri

Did cross-training few weights and core exercises today. Knee is feeling a bit clicky so avoided anything that might stress it. Will run tomorrow unless it gets worse.

A few more Monday mentions - running blogs I currently enjoy:

Gillick has munificently included a guest blog from his personal nutrionist, worth a read if a bit technical.
http://www.davidgillick.com/blog/Nutrition!-Whats-all-the-fuss-.html

Seems all the elites are back in training, this is Derval's bit on nutrition, as always more entertaining than technical:
http://dervalorourke.blogspot.com/2010/10/no-more-chocolate-monster.html

Andrew Lemocello's log is interesting for the amount of detail he gives. Liked reading how he fitted in his running around a wedding he was invited to, also the fact that he is planning a 25km tempo run on the morning of his own wedding. :eek: I suppose you should start as you mean to go on.
http://adlemoncello.blogspot.com/2010/10/last-24-hours-have-been-hectic.html

And when I start to obsess about my little knee problem I read a real runners struggles with knee injuries, plus his music to cheer me up:
http://kelrock.blogspot.com/

and of course, Mr TFB and his mystery coach and weather woman obsession:
http://rubbishrunner.blogspot.com/

dna_leri

Ran local 2 mile race as planned, except it was more like 2.7K according to another runner's garmin. This was first in series of 6 handicap races and the distance or times are not all that important, it genuinely is about taking part. We all set off in groups of roughly equal ability with the slowest runners starting first. Handicaps get revised based on previous race performance so the first one is always a bit of a lottery.

I started with a group which I expected would be too fast for me at my current fitness so I let them pull away during the first of three laps. A couple of others passed me from the next group and I went through 2 laps (1.8K) in 7:13 which is about 4 min km pace. HR was 166, not bad. In a few months I would hope to hold that pace for 5K.

At the start of the third lap, another of the later starters caught up with me, so I decided to stay with him. With half a lap to go, I put the foot down and passed a few people in the run in. Last lap was 3:12 (av HR 177), about 3:30 km pace - faster than I have run in a long time.

Don't know what position I finished, but was happy enough with the run. Knee hurts a bit now, but no worse than after the long run Sunday.
Next week is another '2 miler' but on a different course.

dna_leri

Did 3x2.25 km laps again Thursday, keeping the pace easy, times and average HRs were:
11:44 - 141 bpm
11:39 - 153 bpm
12:11 - 151 bpm
Total 6.75 km in 35:34, average pace 5:16.

Particularly happy with the lower HR, a good sign of improving fitness. To keep a constant easy pace, I tried running with a shorter stride but maintaining a good cadence and that seemed to work.

No particular problems with my knee during this run, but overall I am not happy with my progress in the last week or two. My fitness and speed have improved but I do not feel my knee is really getting better, particularly as I increased the distance and pace. I am considering going back to my doctor for a check-up and possibly an MRI, but I will give it another week or so before I decide.

dna_leri

Did my long run Sunday, 11.1km in 54:58, about the same as previous week but felt a bit better.

Lap times and average HR rates were:
18:10 146 bpm
18:31 153 bpm
18:17 153 bpm

Last week I spotted 2 red squirrels while out on my long run, this week I had 3 deer cross my path. They are bashful and quick to hide when they hear me coming, so it's always a good sign that I am running quietly if I get close to them. For me running quietly is a good indicator of smooth running form - no foot slapping.
In 2009, I used to keep a track of how many deer I saw while out for my runs in the woods and recorded 51 through the year, so 3 is a good day. I know it's a bit sad but I need something to keep me entertained while I'm out there - no headphones or podcasts, don't you know.

Later I came across an article on AIS - Active Isolated Stretching and was trying it out and felt my knee click, in a good way. Afterwards it felt better than it has done in a while. Even today was ok, until I went to get up from my desk after sitting down for about 90 mins and I felt a sharp pain in my left knee - aaargh. Have not felt that in a few weeks. Did a few exercises and loosened it out and was ok then. Gonna try and find out a bit more about AIS as I think it did me some good.

Today I did some knee exercises, upper body weights and core exercises, nothing too strenuous. Tomorrow I run another local 2 mile handicap race as part of the winter league. Not really going to race it, just get a good tempo.

Laters.

dna_leri

Did 2 mile race on Tuesday, time 12:39 - not bad.
This was the first run that I really felt the winter - warmed up with my hat and gloves and tracksuit (I'll come back to this point). A heavy shower just before starting added to the darkening gloom.

Again it was a handicap race with slower runners from previous week starting first. I went off with a similar group to last week and hung off the back for the first lap. It's a two lap cross country course with one big uphill before a final straight on each lap. I hit the lap counter after approx 1 mile and glanced down 6:03 - that can't be right, must be 7:03, naw it's not that slow either, feels about 6:33, keep going [it was actually 6:03].

At this stage the group fragmented and I stayed with one of the guys and we continued picking off back markers. I tried to hold back a bit going up the hill and then let go down the final straight. Still have some of that kick left (great!) so passed out a few more including some I started with to finish with a second lap of 6:33 - I did not realise I had slowed so much from the first lap.
Lap 1 - 6:06 - HR 170, max 192
Lap 2 - 6:33 - HR 174, max 187

Felt pretty tired after the fast finish so went for a long cool down and could feel the lactic in my legs as I jogged around. My knee had niggled a bit during the race but also felt the good of the cool down.

Was one of the last to leave so just went to pick up my tracksuit bottoms as I finished - not there. Worse my car key was in them. :eek: Not funny. Looked around where everyone had left their gear and no sign. Two other runners helped me look around, in case someone had thrown them aside. There was another pair, similar but no key in them. Sh1te, someone's taken my pants my mistake and left their own, probably thrown them in the back of their car and not even noticed.

Went and checked, car's still there. My other set of keys was in the car, so only thing for it was to break in and get them. I'm not an expert car breaker, but I've been told the boot can be forced open fairly easily on mine. So decided to run half a mile up the road to a house I knew I could borrow some tools.

The two people who helped me look said they would wait around a while in case anyone came back with my key. Arrived back with a couple of big screwdrivers, a wire coat hanger and a torch ready to do damage. All I needed was a helpful Garda to drive by now and I would have had a small room for the night.

In the meantime, due to some miracle and prayer to St Anthony, my two helpers had figured out who owned the tracksuit that was left behind. How this happened without a name or id, was hard to believe. Result was my key was on it way back, very thankful for the help.

A little while later I made the tracksuit exchange, other person apologetic, me grateful but cold, wet and tired - never as happy to sit into my car, phew.
Ended up running nearly 10K, between warm-up, race, cool-down, run to get tools, etc but that was kind of secondary to the main event of the night.

dna_leri

Just some circuits on Wednesday, no after effects from Tuesday's race.
Thursday, I did an out and back easy run, total 5K:
Out 12:44 HR 141
Back 13:50 HR 140

Finished with 6x ~150m strides.

Key was firmly in shorts pocket today, need to get another pair of shorts with a pocket to prevent recurrence of Tuesday's fiasco.

Plan for the next few weeks is to continue to build up the mileage. In the previous 6 weeks, I have kept to my plan to increase slowly, with an average gain of 11% per week. I will start to do some hill repeats and either a tempo run or a low-key race each week.

dna_leri

First of all congratulations to all you DCMers - some great times and stories out there. If you put in the work, I hope you got what you wanted and if you didn't hope you at least enjoyed the ocassion. I feel a bit of a fraud posting my non-DCM report today. I have no intention of doing a marathon any time soon. In fact when people asked me previously I would say, I'd never do a marathon. Now I have learnt to never say never.

Did my long run Sunday, ended up 16.1 km, coincidently just over 10 miles which I have not run in a long time.
First lap was 6.2 km in 31:33, pace 5:05, av HR 143
Second was 3.7 km in 19:04, pace 5:09, av HR 145
Third lap 6.2 km in 31:36, pace 5:05, av HR 142
Happy with the consistent pacing and HRs.

It was a beautiful morning for running in the woods. The low sun was melting the frost on the ground and turning it directly into a mist that hovered just above the ferns. Three songs kept going around my head: Van Morrison's 'Brown Eyed Girl', especially the line "In the misty morning fog with our hearts a thumpin" and a mash-up between John Lennon's "Nobody told me" and Van's "Days like this". It was the sort of day you could have kept running forever, well at least in my head.

Actually one of the reasons I ran longer than expected was also because of more key trouble (see above for story #1). This time I came out without my door key and if I went home after my usual 11 km run I would not have been able to get in, so I did an extra 5K while the rest of the family were at mass and arrived back at the same time as them.

Plenty more wildlife on the route also. Four or five deer crossed my path, including one young stag who was sharpening his antlers against a tree. I suspect it is the time of year for stag fights (not the ones outside the pubs on Saturday night - they go on all year) since I saw another agressive stag earlier in the week. As I approached up the hill at dusk last Thursday, he stood in the middle of the path, staring me down. One large antler pointed in my direction, the other antler missing from a previous fight. I had no intention of challenging him but he chickened out first and ran off. I sped by in case he had second thoughts. Another deer came hurtling my direction Sunday, chased by some kind of spaniel. The deer saw me and headed off the path into the trees and the dog turned his attention to me as his owners came around the corner "he won't harm you", "ya but I'd prefer you kept him (and the other two mutts) under control".

It would take more than that to spoil my day. Back home with my foot up and ice on my knee, united even obliged with an exciting win over the potters.

Kept the cross training going on Saturday and again today, although I felt lethargic, probably due to the fry-up for lunch. Last week was my best so far, and my knee is holding up well, touch wood. I am now 8 weeks back running and hope to run a good 5K in another 8 weeks. I am finally starting to feel like I am on track.

dna_leri

Plan for today was 6 km easy followed by a few strides but I kept forgetting and thinking about doing the hill session I planned for Thursday.

When I got to the start of my easy run, I saw a guy walk ahead of me down the trail with an unleashed dog. That was all I needed, so I took a left and headed for the hills. I have done these hill repeats many times before especially around this time last year, usually blasting them out (300m in 60s) with long recoveries (6-7 mins).

The plan today was 300m of steep uphill at steady pace, jog back to recover. I was hitting just under 90s uphill with a jog back of about 2:15, which is nothing to write home about but as a re-introduction to hills it's ok.

I stopped after 6 reps as I started to feel my knee complain and did a cool down jog for a total of about 7.3 km for the day.

dna_leri

Good long run today, another 16.1 km:
First long lap in 30:26, av HR 153, pace 4:55
Second (short) lap in 18:07, av HR 158, pace 4:54
Third long lap in 30:35, av HR 111 (not), pace 4:56

Pleased with the consistent pacing, even if it was a bit faster than last week by about 3 mins overall and only just about qualifies for my long run pace. As a result HR was also up, (except for a false reading on the third lap) though I suspect it was higher to start with anyway due to a busy week.

Usually I do my long run on Sunday but with other things planned tomorrow, I was happy to fit it in early morning. It's been one of those weeks at work where my workouts suffered and my stress levels were up. Skipped my cross-training on Wednesday and Thursday's session was cut short but threw in a few short hills at the end to compensate. Mileage was down from my peak of last week but intensity was up so I don't feel too bad.

I say mileage but of course I should say kilometerage but that does not quite have the same ring to it. Even though I am from the imperial generation, I started recording my distances in km from start of this year for a few reasons: it looks longer; most races I run are in km; I want to be able to think in km seeing as the country has been fully metric for a few years now. I don't think I have succeeded in the last one yet.

On Tuesday there is another local winter league race, this time over 2km. The shorter distance should suit me but I don't plan to go all out, yet.

dna_leri

Its been a busy week and I have missed a few updates.

Last Tuesday was "2 km" local winter league race, just as the first 2 mile race turned out to be closer to 2.7K, again the distance was not exactly "jones counter measured", I estimated 2.5km but will try and measure it another day to see.

It was an out and back course with only minor ups & downs, no real hills so a good chance for a fast workout. Although there was a lot of wind and rain during the day, it held off well for the race.

The race was split into two to avoid congestion and of course it was a handicap as before. I went out in a group of about 6, second or third last set of starters - a few of the faster guys were missing this week.

I had decided to stay with the group as long as I could but probably not go with anyone faster who came past. One guy pushed out the pace and I went on his shoulder as I expected he would maintain a steady tempo. My HRM was not working so I have no record of splits etc. Just before the half way mark a few of the faster guys went past and after the turn I pulled away from my group.

I passed out a good few of the earlier starters on the way back and with about 500m to go I could see one group ahead of me and there seemed to be no one pushing behind me. I was feeling tired now and my head was telling me to ease back and hold my place. A guy who I had been talking to earlier from the first race was standing watching and he urged me to push on and catch a few more. That was all the encouragement I needed, I upped the pace a little and let go on the final 200m, passing the guys who had overtaken me earlier.

I finished 3rd overall and was 4th fastest excluding handicap. Official time was 9:08, which is 3:39 /km, if my 2.5K estimate is accurate. Again position, distance and time are not that important in these races, but I will probably pay for my faster run with a tougher handcap next time out in two weeks over the same course.

Knee had felt ok, most of the day, with just a few twinges during the race. Tried to ensure I did not over-stride especially during the final run-in. A bit stiff afterwards but a nice easy cool-down followed by stretches helped. Recovery was ok Wednesday, though actually still had some doms in my glutes from good weights session on Monday.

Looking around now for a good target race, ideally 5K around Christmas. Last year there were a few on, most of which were postponed by bad weather. Not all of them are advertised for this year but hopefully may still happen. Some smaller races are often later to be announced, and I will probably go for one of them, although I like to have my focus race set in my head as early as possible. St Stephens day is a favourite date for many races, though I am not sure I could get away with going too far that day so it would have to be very local, I will keep looking.

dna_leri

Went out with the club last Thursday evening a did a hill session - not too strenuous but good to have company. Plan to try a few more sessions with the group in the coming weeks as it's so hard to find a suitable location to train alone. It should help too when I want to push a bit harder to have someone to work off.

Sunday, my long run was my longest ever, ever - 17.4 km at average pace 5:02 min/km. Although my pace varied from 4:32 to 5:31, the 2 laps were almost equal:
Lap1 43:27 with HR 150
Lap2 43:33 with HR 148

The pace variation was due to the hills - lots of steep ups and downs. Tried to take is easy on the downhills to protect my knee and by the end my good knee was hurting more than the bad one - probably over-compensated.

I had set out as early as I could to avoid the promised storm, unfortunately I was not the only one, seemed like all the dog owners in the area had the same idea, bring on the bad weather!

The coming week will be another busy one at work and home, so whether I like it or not, will probably be a step-back week, which considering how my knees felt last night may be a good idea.

dna_leri

I have not been doing so well keeping up this log recently - a mixture of busi-ness at work and not sure that I am getting much back from this. Nevertheless its still a good place to record my progress.

Sunday I did a 18.6 km long run (another record), also my first 2 days running in a row since comebck from injury - I did an easy 6k on the roads on Saturday. For my long run, my HRM let me down again and even my stopwatch was not working so my times are only approximate. Did 3 laps in the woods, each 6.2 km - first one in 31 min, followed by another 31 and ended with a 30 min. I felt good on the last lap so pushed out a bit over the last 10 mins.

For the last few weeks, I have been stopping during my long runs to take a gel. They were actually given to me a year ago and were about to go out of date so I decided to try them. They seemed to give me renewed energy and helped my recovery. This week I had none and seemed to do just as well so they were probably just a psychological boost.

Monday I did my usual corss-training weights and core work, with an extra weights circuit thrown in. Felt it a bit in the legs the next day but not too bad.

Tuesday was the 4th race in the local winter league and a repeat of the 2.5K out and back course we did two weeks ago. My target was to beat my previous 9:07, maybe duck under 9mins. However the weather put paid to that.

As the handicap system is changed every time, I was in a different group from last time. Just two of us set out into the strong wind and rain. I could not stay with my partner's fast start so I did not even have help to break the wind. I turned at 4:46 and had the wind on my back for the return route.

The last starter had caught up with me at this stage so I tried to keep him in my sights for most of the way, even though he was pulling away. Passed out a good few on the way back - felt like the wind was really pushing me along. Gave a sprint finish to end in 9:11, a bit slower than previous but the 4:25 for the second half was alright.

Next few of these are on weekends so not sure if I will make them but they are helping me improve and gain confidence. McMillan's calculator does not do a 2.5K time but interpolating for 2K & 3K has me well on track for sub 20 min 5K around the end of the year. Looks like I have the speed still in my legs but need to do a bit more on strength to maintain it for longer. Hill repeats, long intervals and LT pace runs are planned for the coming weeks.

dna_leri

1. Start too fast.
2. Do them on your own.
3. Stop for a chat during recovery.
4. If the interval is too long do something shorter.

My first track session in yonks (I'm sure one does not say that anymore) so was happy to be running on my own.
Plan was for 5-6 x 800m in 3 min with 1:30 recovery - which is a bit faster than my 5K pace and about what McMillan would recommend.

First one was 2:39 - more than a bit too fast.
After 1:33 recovery (200m jog), next one was 2:51 - not much better.
Took 2:00 recovery as I was interrupted by another runner looking for advice (should have told him to ask someone who knows what they are doing), then a 2:56 for the third 800mm - not bang on but better
Next recovery was 1:42 (possibly because I was wrecked from the first two fast reps or just lazy), then a 2:54 for the 4th one - at least I was getting consistent.
Then a gap of 3:14 (don't ask), followed by a 2:06 for 600m, a 3:19 recovery and a 1:16 400m to finish, just because I could.

Obviously I have issues with my pacing, on the positive side I can still run quickly. Part of my problem is that I am not used to running long steady laps - I associate the track with fast reps.

Plan for next session is run with the group but I will come back and do this one again to see if I have improved my internal pacing.

dna_leri

1. Don't tell anyone where you are going.
2. Run on your own.
3. Run while you are still recovering from a knee injury.
4. Go when most of the routes are up to here in mud and barely passable.
5. Don't wear bright colours so the hunters think you are a deer.

The second in a series of "Running for Idiots".

In fairness this was not as bad as my interval mistakes. It was a beautiful morning as I set out for my long run so I decided to take a detour up one of the 3 paths that I knew leads up the hills off my usual route. I had gone this way on my bike during the summer and ended up walking most of the way. I was happy to be able to run this time, even if the pace was slow.

I followed the main trail for about 4.5 km before I decided it was time to turn back. I then followed a spur off around the mountain, which I suspected led back onto another trail that I had gone along before. After about 500m of ankle deep mud I got high enough to see there was a ravine between me and the path I wanted. A slight slip on a greasy rock reminded me of the recklessness in what I was doing. I had visions of getting a bad fall or getting stuck and having to call mountain rescue (I did have my phone with me - not a total idiot) so I headed back along the path I came, stopping to rinse my shoes in a stream.

I considered going back to my car and changing into another pair of shoes that I had left there and continuing with my normal long run. But while I was there I might as well keep going so I tried another of the uphill trails. This was equally muddy but I persevered and was rewarded with finding a good loop that I will come back to. Another quick rinse of the shoes and I headed back down.

I probably ran slower on the downhills than the uphills so overall it was more of a hike than an LSR. Covered a mere 12.6 km in 1:26, which included a few strides at the end to loosen out the legs, but it was a memorable run nonetheless. It's good to go "off-plan" once in a while and do something spontaneous.

dna_leri

Did interval session on the track with the club last night. Plan was for 300m at about 5K pace with 100m jog recovery, the group was doing 16, a few of us did an extra 2 for a good session.

We did a similar workout two weeks ago on grass with an uphill, which was my first speed session in this cycle (I am not using the I-word any more as I have decided that I am no longer inj**ed). That time I started with the main group at about 80 sec and increased the pace as we went along, finishing the last few in 65s.

This time I started off at 70-75 sec with about 90s recovery, then gave the group a 10s head start for 60-65s and increasing the pace at the end to go under 1min. The average was 63s with 92s recovery.

I finished feeling strong and with good form despite being soaked. I would never have managed 18x300m repeats on my own - I would have got bored or started too fast or done something else. The only mistake I made was to forget my running socks, which given the heavy rain meant going home sockless, better than the fella who admitted to running in his boxers on another log!

Woddle

Just started reading this for the first time, very enjoyable, thanks.

dna_leri

Up to this year I have done most of my sessions alone, even though I often trained at the same time as the other club members, I would do my own thing. The advantage of that is you get to set your own start times, target pace, distance and recovery intervals. The disadvantages of training alone I pointed out in earlier posts.

This year I have tried to tie in with club sessions as I need the extra motivation and company so I did a hill session with the club again last Thursday. In this case I would have been better on my own.

I was running late from work and only got there as the session was starting so I dropped back and took it easy for the first bit on the flat until I had warmed up. A few others were racing at the weekend so were taking it handy as well. Once I warmed up I felt good and pushed it a bit up the hills but it was not until the last hill that I really got going. No one else was on for an extra hill repeat so I let it go, not wanting to be the only one. If I was training alone I would have gone for it.

Sunday was my long run, again 3 laps of the forest trail for 18.6 km. There was an inch or two of snow on the ground but it was soft and crunchy rather than slippy so no problems.
Lap 1 was 30:07, HR 150.
Lap 2 was 30:18, HR 152.
Lap 3 was 29:19, HR 155.
I pushed it a bit on the last lap but kept my form and only a small increase in HR. Pace is probably a bit quicker than I need for my LSR but I enjoyed it.

I have been doing the push-up challenge but in my own way. I have not done them every day as you are supposed to, I just incorporated them into my usual core/strength routine. I used to do 20 push-ups every morning but I have stopped them since I started this so I can save my efforts. So far I am at 3x17 with 1 min rest, but today was a struggle.

The last few times I did weighted squats I got knee pain so I have been taking a break from them. I have still been doing body-weight squats, both on 1 and 2 legs without any problems. But again today after 2x10 2-legged squats with just 20Kg, I had knee pain. I think my form is ok, so I will just stay off this exercise for a while, even though it's one of the best.

Still planning my target 5K races for around Christmas. I have one in mind a few days before Christmas and another just after. Generally feeling confident now, but there is always a doubt. There is another winter league race this weekend - 2 miles on a forest trail. I know the route though it's not one of my regular ones. Not too worried about time, given the probable weather conditions but looking forward to pushing it a bit, good for the confidence.

dna_leri

Thursday was another hill session with the club, but this time I got the balance right. Did the first few with the group but when they went for a long warm-down, I went back and did a few more on my own. It's a long hill, about 600m with a flat bit in the middle, tried to push it a bit on the first uphill, relax on the flat and push again to finish. Did 4 sets, each about 2:50 with a jog back recovery of 4:30. There were a couple of icy bits in places but easy to avoid.

Saturday was the 5th of the winter league, a two mile circuit of the woods. Getting there was as much of a challenge as the race and only about a third of runners the first race numbers made it there this week. There was one particularly dodgy hill about two miles from the start where a lot of people abandoned their cars and used the rest of the way to warm-up. I decided to drive down and made it in one piece - just let gravity take it's course. Fortunately it had thawed slightly on the way back so I was not stuck there for the day. It was great to see the organisers did not let a bit of snow and ice get in the way - we could all make our own decisions whether to run or not.

The course started with a long uphill, followed by a sharp downhill then flat for over a mile back to the start. This time I started on my own 20 secs behind one of the bigger groups in the handicap. I pushed hard up the hill, trying to close the gap and just about catching them at the start of the flat. I had expended a bit too much energy so I hung with the group for a while, then started to pick them off one by one. Only one faster guy passed me and I tried to follow him for a while. The track was mostly clear of ice, except for a few places where it was safer to run on the edge. I think there were a few fallers but nothing serious.

I finished in 11:40, 2nd or 3rd fastest and about 1/3 of the way back the field. The garmin distance was just under 1.9 miles, so the time is not as good as it looks but in the conditions, not bad. Next week is the last of the series and the same course again. It's been a good reintroduction to fast running again for me.

Normally I do a long run at the weekend but after the race, I did not want to do another hard day, so today was a recovery run. I kept it really easy, about 7.4K in 41 mins with an average HR of 125, which is pretty good. I have not really been paying too much attention to HR zones recently because I expect they have been changing as I regain my fitness but I know this is good as my long runs are usually around 150 bpm. During yesterday's race my HR peaked at 217, not sure how reliable that is but I have often had them in that range before. I must try and work out my correct training zones again - I'll get another check of my max HR during next week's race and then I need to get my resting HR which in the past was 40-45. As I pointed out in another thread this week, I am not a typical candidate for the standard HR formulae.

dna_leri

I have not really been doing very well at updating this log. I started with good intentions of updating every 2 or 3 days but now I am barely managing weekly. I guess you get as much back as you put into it, so at the moment there is not much in either direction.

I had a couple of good sessions last week despite the icy conditions, 800m repeats on Tuesday on grass and another series of long hills on Thursday similar to the previous week.

Anyway my main update was the last of the winter league races on Saturday - another 1.89 mile circuit of the woods. Conditions were perfect for running, crisp, bright, dry and no ice. It felt more like early Autumn than winter. The surroundings were beautiful too, but my mobile phone camera could not do it justice. The turn-out was better than the previous week but well down on some of the earlier races, so along with a worsening handicap, I started in the last group of two.

I stuck with my partner for a while but let him get away as we caught up on some of the back markers, actually more like I could not hold on any longer. Last week I stuck with the next group for a while, but this time they were more strung out so I had to work a bit harder to pick them off. I finished in 11:15, second fastest and had passed out about 30 on the way. My time was about 25s better than last week, which even with the improved underfoot conditions, I was surprised with.

The overall score for the series is the sum of the positions in each race with the lowest the winner. I finished in 7th, which was pretty good seeing as I did not really race the first two. Unfortunately I missed the prize giving and party that night as I had another Christmas commitment.

Sunday was catch-up on Christmas and home duties, but I had still hoped to get an easy run in. However both of the former combined to thwart me. I first twisted my knee lifting the Christmas tree out of the back of the car but that was not too bad until I tried some kind of ballet movement in the kitchen, while turning to pick up a cookbook. Unfortunately my foot stayed static while the rest of my body twisted about my left knee joint. That rules me out of the Strictly Come Dancing final next weekend and if I am not careful a lot more as well. I did not yell out with the pain, it was more of a WTF did you do that for. Main lesson learnt was avoid household duties to prevent injury.

Since then I have been icing and resting as much as possible, just did weights and core work Monday and avoided any strain on the knee. Today I decided to test it out. Plan was for a 6x400m session in around 1:15 with about 90s recovery, times as follows: 1:10, 1:13, 1:12, 1:13, 1:17, 1:16.
Although the pace dropped off as I went through, it was a good speed workout. My knee started to hurt after the 3rd or 4th one but not so much as to make me want to stop. I have the ice pack on again now and tomorrow will really tell the state I am in. If it's not right I will ease back for a week or so. With more icy conditions promised from Thursday it might not be the worst time, although I have been happy not to allow the weather to get in the way of training over the last bad spell.

Weather and fitness allowing I am planning to do a 5K next week, unfortunately it means dressing up in a Santa suit to do so but at least with the beard no one will recognise me.

dna_leri

Sometimes we can each get a bit obsessed with our running worlds and forget what is really important in life. Last Thursday, I had lots of excuses for not going running: a heavy snow was just starting to fall; I had a bad head-cold; my knee was still hurting. But I did not go because I needed to realign my priorities and running came third after family and work so I did that and without guilt.

Long run today, on my usual wooded trail, in about six inches of snow, ok maybe it wasn't six but it was that soft powdery stuff that's really hard to run in. It felt like running on soft sand and going uphill felt like running up sand dunes. I found myself picking out the icy bits so I could get more traction going uphill. Plan was just to get a good long workout. Even though my heart rate was no higher than usual, my exertion level was definitely higher.

Did three laps, each about 3.7 km as follows, so an average pace of just under 6 minutes per km or nearly 9.5 mins per mile !!:eek: I have never ran so slowly in my life.

Lap1 21:58 HR 146
Lap2 22:20 HR 139
Lap3 21:11 HR 123 ?

At one stage about halfway through the second lap I felt a sharp pain in my left leg. I could not even tell where it was coming from. It hurt from my ankle to my hip so this was not my usual knee problem. Something told me it was my ITB, even though I have never had a problem there. As I looked down at my leg I figured out what was going on. I was pronating something horrible. As my foot landed in the soft snow, it turned in and twisted my ankle, knee and hip. Obviously running in the snow was fecking up my mechanics something awful, though my right foot was doing better. Once I knew this was the problem I could do something about it, just by consiously working against it but it was tough going. The pain then eased. At the end I did a few strides on the road just to get my legs used to running normally again. Fortunately there seem to be no after effects. The rest of my runs in this soft snow will have to be on the road or somewhere its a bit more compacted.

dna_leri

I posted a few photos of where I ran in this thread, here they are again:

dna_leri

Planned an easy run, with a few strides if conditions and body felt up to it as a preparation for 5K Santa Run tomorrow.

Decided to avoid the ankle deep snow on the trails and headed out on the local road where the snow was more compacted but not too slippy.

Took ages to get properly warmed-up, I had plenty of layers on so I was warm enough but my breathing was laboured for about 2 miles until I got into the swing of things. I was beginning to think I had some sort of virus I was struggling so much.

After that it went well, so did 4x400m strides a mile from home on a nice straight stretch.

Found out later that the Santa Run was cancelled, no postponed until next week. It won't have quite the same effect after Christmas but I will go ahead anyway.

The rest of this week will not be too strenuous, just keep things ticking over until the weather changes.

dna_leri

I am not going to try and fill in what I have been up to for the last month but I will piece together bits of it as I go along. For now the story is I am healthy and running. I have done no races since I last logged but I have trained well.

I seriously considered consigning this log to the wasteland of unfinished business that is the dregs of the training log forum but I missed having somewhere to record my thoughts about running.

Today was a good long run. Three short laps of the woods with an extra hill loop in the middle for a neat figure of eight. The short laps are 3.7K with the feature hill about 2K to give a total of 17.4K.
Lap 1 was 28 mins (including a pit stop and clothes drop) with HR of 146
Lap 2 was 27 mins and HR of 158
Lap 3 was 26 mins and HR of 155
for an average 4:40 /km

I tried to bound up the hills, up on my forefoot where possible and relax on the downhill concentrating on picking up my heels behind me.

Before my boards sabbatical I posted my 2011 goals over on another thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=69669493
I had a third goal in there that I was keeping from myself but today I spoke it out loud for the first time so here they all are in technicolor:

1. An injury free year.

2. PBs at all distances from 1 mile to 10 miles:
Distance| Current| Target
1 mile| 5:28| 5:15
5 K| 19:36| 19:00
8 K| 34:12| 31:00
10 K| 40:32| 40:00
10 miles| --:--| 70:00

3. Do the Warrior's Run

#1 & #3 may be incompatible, if so #1 takes priority.

Itziger

dna_leri wrote: »

I am not going to try and fill in what I have been up to for the last month but I will piece together bits of it as I go along. For now the story is I am healthy and running. I have done no races since I last logged but I have trained well.

I seriously considered consigning this log to the wasteland of unfinished business that is the dregs of the training log forum but I missed having somewhere to record my thoughts about running.

Today was a good long run. Three short laps of the woods with an extra hill loop in the middle for a neat figure of eight. The short laps are 3.7K with the feature hill about 2K to give a total of 17.4K.
Lap 1 was 28 mins (including a pit stop and clothes drop) with HR of 146
Lap 2 was 27 mins and HR of 158
Lap 3 was 26 mins and HR of 155
for an average 4:40 /km

I tried to bound up the hills, up on my forefoot where possible and relax on the downhill concentrating on picking up my heels behind me.

Before my boards sabbatical I posted my 2011 goals over on another thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=69669493
I had a third goal in there that I was keeping from myself but today I spoke it out loud for the first time so here they all are in technicolor:

1. An injury free year.

2. PBs at all distances from 1 mile to 10 miles:
Distance| Current| Target
1 mile| 5:28| 5:15
5 K| 19:36| 19:00
8 K| 34:12| 31:00
10 K| 40:32| 40:00
10 miles| --:--| 70:00

3. Do the Warrior's Run

#1 & #3 may be incompatible, if so #1 takes priority.

Heh, heh good stuff. But surely your 10 k and 10 mile targets should be 39.59 and 69.59 respectively. I also took a 20 year break from running though mine was complete and utter break. Where we differ is I haven't had knee surgery. Good luck for 2011.

dna_leri

Itziger wrote: »

Heh, heh good stuff. But surely your 10 k and 10 mile targets should be 39.59 and 69.59 respectively. I also took a 20 year break from running though mine was complete and utter break. Where we differ is I haven't had knee surgery. Good luck for 2011.

I think I'll be glad of the extra second when the time comes. Good luck with your comeback too.

dna_leri

Did good track session Tuesday with the club, again in the pouring rain. 8x400m in average 83s, starting at comfortable 90s and finishing in 78s with short jog recovery of about the same duration. I was not flat out and probably could have done a few more but that was enough as I knew the rest of the week would be stressful, but turned out better than expected.

Occasionally as part of my job, I need to travel, usually within Europe and for only a few days. Normally it plays hell with my running. Typically I arrive late at night, I get something to eat, I work late preparing for the next day, I start work early in the morning, often work through lunch, rush to the airport, fly to Dublin, drive home, arrive exhausted in the early hours and struggle again the next day. This trip was much like that up until the point of flying home as there is only a flight from Luxembourg every second day. So with work finished I was back at my hotel before darkness, enough time for an easy run to explore my surroundings.

I had already checked mapmyrun for suitable routes near my airport hotel and found nothing but a quick scan of google earth gave me some confidence that there were green areas nearby. So I headed out in that general direction just as a flurry of snow started. I had been to Luxembourg before and stayed in the city and never realised there was more to the principality than the city and it financial centre. I found a field behind an adjacent hotel with a bit of a dirt track around it. I considered doing a few laps but it was a bit muddy and I hoped for something better so continued on, keeping this in mind if I got stuck. I followed the road away from the airport and spotted a side road that looked promising, a bit of green area on one side and woodland on the other.

I had my phone with Sports Tracker with me but I could get no GPS signal so I did not want to wander too far from the main routes. I had visions of going missing - "Irishman last seen leaving hotel in flourescent yellow jacket". The wooded area got thicker as I went on but still no obvious way in. Finally after about 20 mins, mostly downhill I found an entrance and a nice track leading back up the hill and into the forest - just what I hoped for. I was still uncertain of my surroundings, do they have bears in Luxembourg, probably not but those footprints in the sandy trail looked pretty big for a dog - a large hare or rabbit bounded out in front of me, alright chill, relax. Then out of nowhere another runner appeared from behind the trees - a multi-lingual nod and we continued at our own pace - mine about 5 min/km but still no GPS to prove it.

The track went deeper into the forest - "I will turn back after the next bend" or "just another few minutes". After about 35 mins I joined a wider path that seemed to lead back in the direction of the airport according to my inner GPS. A bit further on I could see a clearing behind the trees - a golf course and civilisation - so I kept going eventually ending back up near the muddy field I passed back at the start. A few extra km to find a shop with water and I finished in about 53 mins, and an estimated 10 km. Brilliant.

If I was not a runner, I would have spent that hour in front of the TV or on the hinternet. My flight is not until late morning so I have got to get in another run in the morning, this time I will know where I am going and head straight for the trail and deeper into the forest.

Itziger

dna_leri wrote: »

Did good track session Tuesday with the club, again in the pouring rain. 8x400m in average 83s, starting at comfortable 90s and finishing in 78s with short jog recovery of about the same duration. I was not flat out and probably could have done a few more but that was enough as I knew the rest of the week would be stressful, but turned out better than expected.

Occasionally as part of my job, I need to travel, usually within Europe and for only a few days. Normally it plays hell with my running. Typically I arrive late at night, I get something to eat, I work late preparing for the next day, I start work early in the morning, often work through lunch, rush to the airport, fly to Dublin, drive home, arrive exhausted in the early hours and struggle again the next day. This trip was much like that up until the point of flying home as there is only a flight from Luxembourg every second day. So with work finished I was back at my hotel before darkness, enough time for an easy run to explore my surroundings.

I had already checked mapmyrun for suitable routes near my airport hotel and found nothing but a quick scan of google earth gave me some confidence that there were green areas nearby. So I headed out in that general direction just as a flurry of snow started. I had been to Luxembourg before and stayed in the city and never realised there was more to the principality than the city and it financial centre. I found a field behind an adjacent hotel with a bit of a dirt track around it. I considered doing a few laps but it was a bit muddy and I hoped for something better so continued on, keeping this in mind if I got stuck. I followed the road away from the airport and spotted a side road that looked promising, a bit of green area on one side and woodland on the other.

I had my phone with Sports Tracker with me but I could get no GPS signal so I did not want to wander too far from the main routes. I had visions of going missing - "Irishman last seen leaving hotel in flourescent yellow jacket". The wooded area got thicker as I went on but still no obvious way in. Finally after about 20 mins, mostly downhill I found an entrance and a nice track leading back up the hill and into the forest - just what I hoped for. I was still uncertain of my surroundings, do they have bears in Luxembourg, probably not but those footprints in the sandy trail looked pretty big for a dog - a large hare or rabbit bounded out in front of me, alright chill, relax. Then out of nowhere another runner appeared from behind the trees - a multi-lingual nod and we continued at our own pace - mine about 5 min/km but still no GPS to prove it.

The track went deeper into the forest - "I will turn back after the next bend" or "just another few minutes". After about 35 mins I joined a wider path that seemed to lead back in the direction of the airport according to my inner GPS. A bit further on I could see a clearing behind the trees - a golf course and civilisation - so I kept going eventually ending back up near the muddy field I passed back at the start. A few extra km to find a shop with water and I finished in about 53 mins, and an estimated 10 km. Brilliant.

If I was not a runner, I would have spent that hour in front of the TV or on the hinternet. My flight is not until late morning so I have got to get in another run in the morning, this time I will know where I am going and head straight for the trail and deeper into the forest.

Ah FFS, I'm in Lux and have been for 9 years. Coulda met up for a run with my first ever Boardie! Shame. PM me the next time you are over. Google the first 5 letters of my username.

Itziger

Itziger wrote: »

Ah FFS, I'm in Lux and have been for 9 years. Coulda met up for a run with my first ever Boardie! Shame. PM me the next time you are over. Google the first 5 letters of my username.

Btw, I did a run near there this morning. That is what I call a coincidence. You were up around Kirchberg or airport evidently.

dna_leri

Itziger wrote: »

Btw, I did a run near there this morning. That is what I call a coincidence. You were up around Kirchberg or airport evidently.

That's gas, especially since you just posted here a few days ago. I stayed in a hotel right at the airport. I will give you a shout next time I am back.

Got out for another run this morning just after dawn and went back along the same route. I followed the main path for about 20.5 mins and then came back in a bit less about 19:50 for an estimated 8 km.

I don't usually run before breakfast so I savaged the breakfast buffet back at the hotel to set me up for the day. Back home now, nothing too hectic planned for the weekend.

dna_leri

Long run today, similar to last week - 3 figure 8 loops.

Looked like a perfect day for a run but I turned back after a few hundred meters to get my hat and gloves. The cold wind was cutting through me.

The first lap was 28:21 with HR 153. By then I had warmed up enough to discard my hat and gloves again. Second lap was 28:25 with HR 153 again. Pushed on the hills for the last lap in 26:28, though my HR only recorded 112 - something going wrong with my watch again.

Total 17.4 km for an average 4:47 /km.

Itziger

dna_leri wrote: »

Long run today, similar to last week - 3 figure 8 loops.

Looked like a perfect day for a run but I turned back after a few hundred meters to get my hat and gloves. The cold wind was cutting through me.

The first lap was 28:21 with HR 153. By then I had warmed up enough to discard my hat and gloves again. Second lap was 28:25 with HR 153 again. Pushed on the hills for the last lap in 26:28, though my HR only recorded 112 - something going wrong with my watch again.

Total 17.4 km for an average 4:47 /km.

Similar pace that I do those type runs at. Did 14 the other day at 4.40 and 34 (!!) today at 5.08 or so. Not feeling too bad now.

Must check your races for this year. There's a pancake flat half here at end of Sept. Route du Vin Half Marathon starts in a town called Remich down in the Moselle Valley. Got my pb of 1.28 there last year.

dna_leri

I ran up a few steps at work without thinking on Monday and felt a twang in my knee again - seems I need to warm up before any kind of exercise now. I rested and iced on Monday night so I felt able for a session on Tuesday.

I decided not to go on the track as I find it is more of a strain on my knee and also the Tuesday sessions have been 300's & 400's recently and I would prefer to be doing some longer stuff. 400's are great at mile pace but any slower and I don't feel the benefit, no matter how many I do.

I hope to do a 5K in the coming weeks, providing I can arrange my work/life schedule so I planned 6x1K at sub-5K pace. Did a few sessions like this before my 5K PB over 2 years ago and find they are great for helping with pacing and getting used to running hard when tired. I guess that's what distance runners call speed endurance, though I find it hard to use that term for anything other than the last 100m of a 400m race.

Hit the first one in 3:30 with HR 168, which was a bit fast so eased a little for the remainder in 3:34, 3:34, 3:35, 3:33 & 3:36 with average HR of 164 and a jog recovery of about 2 mins. The last one was tough but my knee held up well.

Plan at the moment is a 5K in February; 10K in April; Warriors Run (14K) in August with a 10 mile before then.

dna_leri

Planned to do another hill session yesterday with the club, but with a few of them racing at the weekend and strong gales blowing, the vote was for a steady run instead.

Did 3 laps of about 3.4 k. First one in 15:40 with HR of 150; then 15:51 in 162 bpm & 15:49 in 163. Felt faster than the average pace of 4:38 /km but maybe that was the wind affect.

dna_leri

Avoided steep hills on my long run as I am planning a 5K race next weekend, so went for the slightly longer flatter course in the same woods to make 18.6K. Conditions were soft underfoot but none of the rain that had been promised. Normally I do this run mid-morning after a good breakfast but this week it was early afternoon so there were a lot more walkers and dogs about, though nothing that gave me any problems this week. My stomach seemed to be out of sorts after the run, think it was just the change of timing and nothing more.

First lap was 28:28 with HR 145, eased a little on the second in 29:01 and 149 bpm, finished with a consistent 28:58 and 145 for an average 4:39 min/km. Last time I did this route there was snow and ice so I can't really compare, though I know my previous laps were more around 30-31 mins. I try not to race my LSRs but I am doing them a little quicker. I generally feel comfortable at the time and tired afterwards which I think I should after a long run.

Will do a mini-taper this week - nothing faster than 5K pace. Generally feeling tired so easing back for the week may help.

dna_leri

dna_leri wrote: »

Will do a mini-taper this week - nothing faster than 5K pace.

Well, did not quite keep to that plan, unless I plan to knock a minute off my 5K time on Sunday.

Joined the club for a session of 15x 400's last night. My plan was to do them in around 1:31 but ended up with an average 1:29 but I felt like I was keeping it steady. First one and last ones were a bit quick 1:25, 1:24 but the rest were within range - no real gasping for air or lactic in the legs. It was also good to get a feel of what that pace is like - 1:31 is 19 min 5K pace.

The rest of the week will be easy, with a few strides thrown in at around 5K pace. Looking forward to Sunday's race now after being a bit race-shy for a while. Checked out last year's results, there were just 55 finishers with 12 under 20 mins, so there won't be much company and being able to pace myself will be important.

Generally I start out a bit slow and try to finish well but if I am feeling good, I might allow a faster start (up to 6 min mile), hang in for the middle bit and then drive for the finish. The course is out and back and allegedly flat so I will be disappointed if I don't break my 19:36 PB from 2008 but it's my first race in over a year so I should just treat it as a season opener, knowing there will be more chances to push 19 mins later in the year. Also when I was out injured my plan was to be able to come back and run sub 20 min for 5K, so maybe I won't start that fast. We'll see.

dna_leri

Ran 18:52 and finished 3rd, well pleased. Race report will follow.